PHOTOSWho Is Kick Kennedy? How RFK Jr.'s Daughter Is Involved With Ben Affleck Explained
Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy sparked dating rumors with Ben Affleck one week after Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from the 'Air' actor.
How Is Kick Kennedy Related to the Kennedy Family?
Jennifer "Kick" Kennedy, who recently made headlines after sparking dating rumors with newly divorced Ben Affleck, is one of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s six children and one of the two kids he shares with his first wife, Emily Ruth Black.
Kick and her brother, Robert "Bobby" Kennedy III, are half-siblings with Conor Richardson Kennedy, Kyra LeMoyne Kennedy, William Finbar Kennedy and Aidan Caohman Vieques Kennedy.
What's the Meaning of Kick Kennedy's Unusual Moniker?
Her nickname — Kick — sounds far from her real name.
According to reports, her father’s aunt and John F. Kennedy's sister Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington, also went by the same moniker.
"[No one] calls me Kathleen except the TSA and the Department of Motor Vehicles," she quipped.
Kick Kennedy Studied Acting
Kick attended Stanford University, where she studied theater and history, before scoring her first major role on Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2011. She continued her studies at the Lee Strasberg Institute.
In the years thereafter, Kick expanded her acting career by appearing on The Newsroom, Gossip Girl and the off-Broadway production of Antigone.
"I'm really lucky. I've grown a lot just studying this part and I hope I can do it justice. I couldn't really ask for a better story to tell right now. It's just sort of magical that everything fell into place," she told the Associated Press.
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Kick Kennedy Shifted Her Career
While pursuing her acting career, Kick also began focusing on philanthropy and activism. She revealed that her ecologically conscious family has helped her shift her career.
"We’re always doing things like conserving light bulbs, and of course we get castigated if we litter. But the impact has been more in our love for nature. My dad has spent his whole fatherhood forcing us outdoors and not letting us come back in," she told Stanford Magazine.
Kick is also a member of the Founders’ Circle of Well Beings Charity, an organization that focuses on animal welfare and environmental protection.
Are Kick Kennedy and Ben Affleck Dating?
A few days after Kick and Ben sparked dating rumors, a representative for the Hypnotic actor issued a statement to Today to dismiss the buzz.
Sources also tried to explain how the pair know one another one.
"Kick and Ben have been spending time together [since spring], but I'm not sure what's happening," a source claimed. "Kick’s celeb crush has always been Ben."
Kick Kennedy Dealt With Dating Rumors in the Past
Before Kick was linked to Ben, she dated Paul Simon's son Harper.
"Harper came to the Cape," she said of her then-beau's visit to meet her grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. "He’s a very charming guy, and he sang for my grandmother, which she loved — and then he was ordered to sing every night after that, which he didn’t love. My grandmother likes performance and music, and she sometimes demands it. And you can’t really say no to Ethel, so I made sure he brought his guitar."
Kick also sparked dating rumors with Matthew Mellon in 2018 before he died while on his way to a drug rehabilitation facility in Mexico. At the time, her modeling manager Christine Schott expressed Kick's devastation and shock over the loss.
